When the Well Runs Dry: Prayer Beyond the Beginnings

I don't usually rate something 5 stars, but this book met me at the point of my need. If you're a Christian, and you're confused as to why you've lost interest in church, and your prayer life, and even your Bible, get this book! Even if you're not Catholic, get this book! I've been a born-again believer for 30 years (before that, I was 33 years a Roman Catholic). What Fr Green is explaining in this book was never explained to me in church. It's a taboo to discuss it - as though something is wrong with you, so you just don't want to admit it to your sisters and brothers in the Lord, or maybe even to your closest family members. And you feel miserable. You start believing that you've committed some terrible sin, and God has abandoned you. (At least I did). I thought of reading St. John of the Cross' - Dark Night of the Soul, which I had heard about, but I was concerned that I would have difficulty understanding it. Then, somehow, this book came into my life. I read it through once, it blessed me out of my socks, and now I'm reading it again, highlighting as I go. It's lesson is contemplative prayer. Fr. Green explains St. John of the Cross' writings, as well as Teresa of Avila, who were friends, I believe. I also plan to read his book, "Opening to God", even though it is about beginning prayer. Thank you, Fr. Green!

Clear, concise and down to earth treatment of difficulties in prayer whilst encouraging and helping the reader to recognise God's presence in some of the darker or drier moments of our prayer life. Not only does the author carefully translate John of the Cross' teaching on what consitutes this purifying action in prayer but he also makes the brave attempt to bridge this with the day to day difficulties and seemingly insurmountable character flaws. Above all, the reader gives the impression of someone who has experienced joyful perseverence during these periods. All in all, quite uplifting.

This is a book on prayer. This is NOT a book on prayer for those who have never learned to pray! Rather there is a stage in the spiritual journey when the person that has enjoyed prayer for a long period of time, gradually loses the comfort and satisfaction that came with prayer. This comes despite that fact there is no new sin in the person's life! Despite having the desire to stay close to God... Many of us experience this from time to time but in some this is a persistent state that can last for years or for the rest of their lives. This is a stage of the journey that some have called the 'dark night'. The dark night is simply a stage of the spiritual journey where there are no consolations/comfortable feelings from/toward God and one just goes on with FAITH alone. What Fr Green does is give an explanation of what is happening and how to deal with it, based on the works of 2 well know saints: Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross. The answers are surprising but comforting and will lead you into new ways of relating to the Lord. This book is very well written considering the subject matter and especially in comparision to the style in which Teresa and John have written. If you are experiencing the dark night as noted above this is the best book you will find. If the description of the dark night is something you have never experienced, this book may well lead you to confusion and it is probably best to wait till you experience such a state before trying to read this book.

WHEN THE WELL RUNS DRY, now nearly thirty years old, has become a favorite for many readers. It's easy to understand why. The author, Jesuit priest Thomas Green writes about a reality of the spiritual life. At times we do experience dryness in our spiritual lives. When we first develop a relationship with God, it excites us, but like anything, it can become mundane. The temptation is to drop it and think of it as just a pleasant experience but now it's over. Green believes that the true challenge is to use these moments of "dryness as opportunities to grow and even posits that it at times of dryness that people often grow most as far as the spiritual life is concerned. Readers will see Green's Ignatian training and spirituality in the pages of this book, but he doesn't rely solely on the writings of St. Ignatius but also uses the writings of two of St. Ignatius' compatriots and contemporaries St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila as well as a twentieth century Protestant missionary Hannah Hurnard. He also shares some of his own personal life which helps the reader see he has experiences much of what he writes about in the book. My copy of the book is well worn. I find myself going back to it again and again, reading chapters or sections that have moved me and continue to do so. At time is use the book when I feel dry but also when I need something to reflect on in prayer or something as an example I can use in a homily. It can be read by anyone who takes prayer and spirituality seriously. I would think it would also be a great book to be used in an adult education class or spirituality discussion group. It could lead to great discussions and we'd see that when it comes to the spiritual lives, we all have more in common than we realize.

Tom Green really knows God. "When the Well Runs Dry" is a book on advanced prayer, based on a lucid and accessible exposition of the works of Ss. Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, the great 15th century Carmelite mystics. Green reassures us that when we go through the "dark night", and God seems distant and cold, He is really there with us, closer than ever; He's teaching us by withdrawing His hand, just the way we teach children to ride a bike by running along beside, ready to catch them. If you're a Christian believer (Catholic or Protestant) and want to get beyond the beginnings of prayer in your walk with God, Green's book is a great place to start.